Into the World of Avatar
by livstar235
Summary: THIS IS AN EDIT OF THE PREVIOUS ONE I PUBLISHED. Olivia is sucked into the avatar world, where there is bending of the elements, she doesn't know why she's there, and she walks a narrow, dangerous path to find that out.
1. Chapter 1

**Okay. So it took me a minute to think. How was I going to repost this? I published it on my old story, then saw that it got little views, so I'm publishing it as a new story, to gather people to look at it, and hopefully also my old readers. If you like this, you can either wait for the next chapter to come out, or go to my profile and check out the older one, which the chapters are NOT edited, just to warn you...and I may change somethings :)**

**And before I forget, Disclaimer: Avatar the Last Airbender wasn't my idea, but I wish it was.**

**One more thing: I'M GRADUATING TOMORROW, HUZZAH!** **Now only the story.**

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Pencils tapping, people picking at their nails, hidden texting, and quiet conversations carried throughout the classroom as we all impatiently waited for that bell that would end our week at school. The ticking from the clock in the back of the classroom is what kept us all perked up. I glanced up at it, to only watch the second marker strike twelve and it finally rang. Students shot out of their seats for the freedom that they craved for all week.

I scooped up my backpack and carried my English books on my way out of the room as I told the teacher to have a nice weekend. Always the last one out of the room, but that meant I didn't have to shove anyone as I went through the doorway. I took my time as I navigated through the hallways and bumped into people who randomly stopped in front of me to have conversations, which happened all the time. I sighed as I weaved around them to get to my locker.

Cautiously, I opened my locker and peeked in and saw books leaning against the door, ready to fall the moment I would open it. I swung it open and put my other arm under the books to catch them and prevent them from hitting the floor. I sighed out of pure relief before I grabbed the books I needed for the weekend and stashed the rest back before slamming the door shut.

I made my way through the diminishing crowds as I went outside, where my mom would be waiting in her nice blue Honda CRV. I crawled into the back and dumped my stuff behind me. My two little brothers were already in and buckled, bickering loudly on our drive home, just like they always did.

Oh, that reminds me, I should have introduced myself, I'm Olivia, the oldest out of three children. My life has been quite boring: an average student in high school that played the part of the only female geek and I'm proud of it. People have found it funny that I'm quite clumsy, but I really don't care, I just roll with it.

When we got home and my brothers shoved each other out of the car, I went up to my room and went right onto the computer. Due to my dad being a huge computer geek, we all have our own computers in the house, and note that he is for PC and not Mac. Never has been, and I will never understand why. As I waited for the computer to turn on, I rolled back in my chair and looked at myself in the mirror. My dirty blonde hair reached down to the end of my shoulder blades, in its natural curl form, with a bit of frizz that I could never get rid of, of course. I had a round face, and still a bit of baby fat in my cheeks, but people said that I looked to be of drinking age. If I stood up, I would easily be 5"10 or 5'11..yeah I'm tall, but that's the reason why I'm in basketball.

I got back to the computer and browsed the web, eventually ending up in the fanfictions, my current obsession being Avatar the Last Air bender. "Would be awesome if they were real," I murmured every time as I thought about the show.

"Olivia," called my mother, "we're going out to eat dinner. How much homework do you have?"

I sighed, "I have a lot, and I want to finished it tonight so I have a free weekend." It's partially true, I did have homework, but I'm a horrible procrastinator and won't do it until the night before or the day that it was due.

"Alright, see you later then" and my family left the house, just like that.

I looked out the window to see the car leaving the house, I smiled in relief, it felt good to be alone, finally. I remembered that the Avatar was on tonight, even though it was a re-run. I rushed down the hall, and stumbled down the stairs, missing the last step and I slid on the wood floors as I ran to the family room and leapt onto the couch and turned on the television. I was just in time to watch the full episode.

As the introduction for the show came up, I had noticed something slightly off about it, but before I could observe what the reason was, the television went black. I furrowed my brows in confusion, the lights were still on. TV off, lights on…okay, that's not weird. I hope the light bulb in the television didn't go off again.

I perked up, "What just happened," I wondered aloud. The television just had a new light bulb put in it, and it can't be broken, it was too new.

The screen suddenly went white and the rest of the power went off, I squinted my eyes from the brightness, there were black silhouettes of human figures on the screen. I heard a chuckle, "we finally found you." His voice was deep and velvety, almost heavenly, yet it still frightened me.

My body tensed, are they talking to me? "What do you mean," my voice quivered.

"You are the one we have been searching for," he said, like if it was that obvious, "you are coming with us."

I blinked, how on earth could they make me come with them? They are on a television screen, it's not like- oh crap. The air around me started pulling me towards the television, like a tornado sucking me to my demise. I grabbed onto the couch, the wind around me tugged on to me even harder, "you will be coming, Olivia. Resistance is Futile." Wait, they know my name? This is all too weird.

Finally, I had lost my grip and slipped through the television, like if it wasn't even there. A sudden wave of exhaustion overwhelmed me. Everything grew dark and blurry, the last thing I could remember thinking was, why me?

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**Alrighty then, the next edited chapter will be out ASAP, and I have no clue when that is, could be tomorrow for all I know.**

**Thanks for reading! Have an awesometastic day! Also, please leave a review, I would very much like to know what you think. I LIKE OPINIONS. Even if they're hateful.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Alrighty, here is chapter two of the edit. I kinda don't have anything to say at the moment, other than thank you for looking at my story and giving it another chance, hopefully it has improved a lot.**

**Disclaimer: oh how I wish I owned Avatar, but I just don't.**

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My eyes shot open and immediately, I regretted it, so I snapped them shut once again. I could see the light protruding my eyelids, and slowly this time; I opened my eyes, adjusting to the light as I scanned the room. I couldn't see anything out of the span of light that I was sitting under.

"Ah, so you're finally awake," said a man, the same voice that I heard before…I was sucked into the television. It startled me as I recalled what had happened. So many impossible things happened to me in such a short span

I noticed three figures standing just outside the light, I could only see the dark shadows of their bodies, but I was sure there were only three of them. It was then I finally noticed that I was strapped to the chair I was sitting in. "Uh, why am I tied to a chair," my voice somehow remained steady as I asked them. I did my best to appear calm, though I sure as heck didn't feel that way. The palms of my hands were hot with sweat, and I took slow, deep breaths to keep myself calm. Who are these guys? What do they want with me?

The same man chuckled, "so you wouldn't fall."

I knew that I would have fallen out of the chair while I was out, because I'm clumsy like that, apparently he knew too. I shyly smiled, "I thank you for that."

The man stepped out into the light, finally revealing himself. His wavy brown hair barely touched his broad shoulders, and his exotic sea blue eyes were focused on me, a playful flame dwelling within them. He wore a light blue robe of the classic Greek or Roman fashion. I don't know what it was about him, but his appearance caught me by surprise, and the words slipped out of my mouth before I could stop them, "are you an angel?"

The corner of his lip pulled up, "Something of the sort." He kneeled down by the chair and untied me, "but I am much older than I appear to be." He looked to be in his mid-twenties, maybe even early twenties, "we work with maintaining different dimensions, or universes, whatever you want to call it. We aren't necessarily dead, nor are we alive- it's complicated. On the other hand, you are needed elsewhere."

When the ropes dropped, I moved my arms around, allowing the blood to flow. It felt good to be able to move them again, being restrained is not my thing. Then again, is it anyone's? I looked up at the man, or whatever he is, and said, "I'm confused, could you elaborate as to why I am here?"

He smirked knowingly; I hate it when people smirk like that, "what I mean is that your talents could be used where it is currently needed."

I stared at him, even more confused than I was a minute ago, "What talents? It's not like I have any."

He barked out in laughter, it wasn't the genuine kind, it was more like 'you're an idiot and I'll laugh at you for it' kind. It made me feel extremely stupid, and he replied, "You will see eventually, some talents you have already discovered and others will be revealed throughout your journey. But your current traits, such as your clumsiness and all those other fun things will still be the same. You will be you." Great, he likes making fun of me, and he also knew my upcoming question, "and your appearance will remain with you, but your clothing will change as you enter the other dimension. Also, you will have a new set of memories, but you will not completely forget the world in which you were born."

I nodded, somewhat understanding the bit that he just told me, but I didn't say anything, I was trying to comprehend the different dimension part.

A black vortex appeared rather violently on the wall in front of me. "Now if you step through here, you will enter your new life," he told me, "and what will happen right after you enter, I am deeply sorry."

I stood up and stared at him, "okay, now why do I want to go through that vortex thing if you say you're sorry for what is about to happen to me?"

He smirked, "because you're being pulled through."

I sighed, not this again. I felt the air around me pulling me in, there was nothing I could do, so I didn't resist the tug. The three men looked at me, as if they were watching a movie. What do they do to occupy their time?

I was finally pulled through and the surroundings vanished, I was in nothingness, then I fell through another opening, and I was high up in the sky. "Oh, so that's what they meant," I muttered, staring wide-eyed at the ground far below me as it rapidly came closer and closer. If I wasn't falling, I would have enjoyed the view, everything was so green and fresh-looking, even the smell that clogged my nose was nice.

I was high above the trees when a small clearing finally entered my vision. I outstretched my arms and legs, so I would fall slower than if I was huddled. I was too shocked to scream, and if I tried, my mouth would have quickly run dry. In a few quick seconds, I crashed into the ground.

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**And we are now in the Avatar world! Yay! Now I'll put up the next chapter up in the next few days.**

**Please leave a review, I like to see what ya'll think!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey peoples! So here's Chapter 3. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar. But I own my characters...that sounds weird.**

**Now, I shan't keep you waiting any longer unless you have already skipped ahead...**

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"Do you think she's okay," a familiar, but muffled, voice asked. Sounded like a kid, a boy….though I could be wrong and it could be a teenaged girl, but I doubt it. It's going to bug me until I get his name, but I couldn't open my eyes, they're so heavy. Exhaustion wasn't even half of it.

"She has a pulse," a girl answered, maybe my age, or younger, "she's breathing, too. We won't know what happened or what needs healing until she wakes up."

It took what seemed like forever, but the weights on my eyes lifted at they flitted open. Everything around me was out of focus and blurry, I squinted and blinked until everything was clear. There were two faces in my sight; the girl had dark skin, brown hair, and blue eyes, full of concern. The boy was bald and had a blue arrow on his head, and big grey eyes, something about him screamed innocence.

"Finally awake?" the girl asked. "What happened?"

I opened my mouth to speak, but the dryness of my tongue couldn't produce any sound, I saw the girl reach into her bag, and she got out a canteen. She opened it and carefully poured some beloved water down my throat. I swallowed and said softly, "thank you. And I…can't remember, except…falling off a really tall tree?"

She nodded and her brows furrowed in clear concern, "don't think too hard on that, you might have a concussion. Move around a bit, tell me what hurts."

So I moved around as if I was going to get up, and I failed miserably. My right arm collapsed on me, screaming in pain, and my left leg just didn't want to move. I clenched my teeth to keep the sounds of pain within. The girl noticed my arm and bended some water, I flinched away when I saw it, "don't worry, I won't hurt you." I took a deep breath and did my best to relax. She laid her hands on my arm, and almost immediately, I could feel my bone being welded back together. It felt so good; there was no way to describe the relief. "Alright, is there anything else that hurts?"

"Can't move my leg- sorry, my left leg," I said, catching myself before she could ask which one. I tried to recall what exactly had happened as she healed it. Nothing came up, except for me falling off a tree, but I don't even remember why. What was I doing up there?

"Can you move your leg now," she asked, breaking me from my thoughts.

I bent my knee with the usual ease, "yes, thank you…"

"Katara, my name is Katara," she said as she stood up and brushed the dirt from her clothes. "And that's my older brother, Sokka," she nodded towards a boy with brown hair, up in a bushy ponytail thing, he has the same color of skin and eyes as his sister, but his eyes didn't seem as gentle. "Oh, and Toph is already on Appa, I believe. She's kind of impatient," she grumbled the last part. I believe that Appa was the flying bison, since I highly doubt that she could be on a flying lemur.

She held out her hand to me and helped me up, "thanks, Katara. I'm"

The bald boy then interrupted me, I think it was purely on accident, just by the huge grin plastered on his face, "I'm Aang."

It was then I realized where I was: in the Avatar world. I felt like I have lived here for my whole life, yet I haven't, or I don't think I have. Maybe I was dreaming. Then again, I wouldn't have had as much pain as I was in a few minutes ago. And I am quite positive people go unconscious in their dreams and still sleep. I smiled to myself, even if this was a dream, it was where I wanted to be.

My thoughts then came back to earth and I realized I was holding a long, awkward for them at least, silence, 'Oh, I'm Olivia." I looked at Aang, and asked quietly, "you…look different than the others." That was not meant to be rude, but out of pure curiosity, and I hope it came out that way. I kind of doubt it, though, things tend to come out of my mouth the way I don't want them to.

Sokka glared at me, "it's not like you look different from everyone else," he retorted. I guessed he was making a point about my hair. I mentally shrugged that off.

I furrowed my brows in confusion; why was he so harsh? I understand why he wouldn't trust me, but he didn't have to react like that. Katara looked at me, "don't worry, Sokka is just a bit moody right now, please forgive him.

I gently smiled at her, for being so kind, "I don't mind, really. I learned not to take these sorts of things to heart, I just have to rationalize." Even if my heart won't let me, Sokka's words hurt, but I wouldn't let them know that. Especially Sokka, he might just hurt me more.

She nodded sadly, "yeah, you're right. But that doesn't always happen with people. Even when they know." I knew she was pinpointing me, I didn't need to think much on that to know.

My eyes locked on hers, "if only."

"Do you have anywhere to go? A home?"

I shook my head, "No. I'm a wanderer, an adventurer, eventually I'll find a place where I belong."

"No family?"

"Not that I can think of…I can't remember, exactly. But…I think- I know- they died," I said as I buried into my mind, trying to pick up the answers.

Aang finally jumped in, "would you like to join us? For a while, at least?"

"Nah, I have this feeling that I have somewhere to go, alone," I replied. I had no idea where I was headed, I just had this voice in my head telling me I had to go to some place by myself. Another event for me, maybe. I inwardly shrugged, who knows.

They all crawled up the flying bison, Aang just jumped and looked at me, "well, I hope we see you again, and good luck on wherever you're going!"

I chuckled, letting out a big smile, "you, too. Good luck, guys. It would be nice if we bumped into each other again."

They departed, flying away on the giant flying bison. I watched as they flew above, and I felt some fur hit my face and get into my mouth, causing me to desperately spit it out. I learned I shouldn't leave my mouth hanging open around large furry creatures.

Finally putting my gaze back down, I looked into seemingly vast forest, with this random patch of clearing that was found. What in the world was I going to do now? Or at least, which direction should I start?

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**And there's chapter 3. Let me know what you think of it! It would be very much welcomed if you wrote a review, good or bad, I'll take any form, unless it's gibberish. The next chapter should be longer, I can't quite remember.**

**I hope you guys have a splendid day, wherever you are!**

**Oh, and one more thing, I read something about these having covers now? If you could help create one or suggest a picture, that would be awesome!**


	4. Chapter 4

**FINALLY ANOTHER CHAPTER! Sorry for the long wait, I'd been busy with stuffs, and I don't think you want me to write when I'm in a super depressed mood either, then I would kill people. My dad's disowning me because he doesn't want to help pay for my college. One day we went to the movies and he told me, at the theatre, that I had to pay for my own ticket. I'm practically broke. Oh well, my drama, not yours. **

**TO LET YOU KNOW, I didn't read through this and edit it, so if there's typos, I apologize. I'll get my bff to read through it and I'll update it once she proofed it. I just wanted to get it up here for ya'll. I hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Avatar world or the characters, but I do own mine. MWAHAHAHAHAH.**

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It took me a while to notice what I was wearing; a short sleeved dark green tunic and brown pants that consisted of holes at the knees, a thick belt tied comfortably around my waist, exaggerating my hour-glass figure, and brown leather boots that had a small heel to them and were clearly worn out. I carried with me a brown bag that had money and some food inside.

I never realized how big a forest can be. So many trees…and some were at least three feet in diameter. Creatures of the forest were hidden from my view, hiding from my unwanted presence. The ground was soft beneath my feet, and I stumbled over tree roots every now and then, only to catch myself before I actually fell. After a few hours, I had become adjusted and moved smoothly along the forest as I kept a mental compass to make sure I wasn't going in circles.

Once the sun had begun to set, I found a large tree that could provide comfort and protection. I took my bag off and took my seat against the base of the tree. The trunk had an indent large enough for me to keep me hidden from other travelers. I put the bag on my lap and took a handful of berries and nuts and munched quietly as I thought about the day, and drank a few sips of water before I closed my eyes and went into a dreamless sleep.

A few more days had passed when the trees had started to die down and I finally hit a desert oasis. When I noticed what had happened to the terrain, I halted and frowned, "how the heck…is this possible?"

What did I do? Did I space out into my little dream world as I walked? I do tend to do that now I think about it. Oh well, too late to go back in time, I would probably do the same thing again, anyways. I looked back up and took in the view, there was a tavern in the oasis, probably filled with a bunch of men, it was nice looking though. A thought sprung in my head that made me chuckle, a scene from the Tangled movie and the Snuggly Duckling. It would probably be nothing like that, but it was a nice thought.

Rolling my shoulders back, I took the first steps in a while to where I actually knew where I was going to go; straight for that tavern. It was scarier knowing where I was going than not knowing where I was going to end up, which was unusual, isn't it? I pushed the thoughts away as I silently opened the door and made a quick observation of the room. Tables, a bar, chairs, everything that was expected, the walls were made of stone, though, as was the floor. The place wasn't crowded, but enough for unsettle me. I found an empty table in a corner where nobody was and took that. A server came up to me and I ordered some water.

From here it was easier to see everything, and not worry about eyes falling onto me. Two elderly men were playing a game of pai sho. Of course I knew what the game was, but I had never played it, I never really understood the concept of the rules. Even though they might be simple, but I favored classic chess over this. Once old man had a grey unkempt beard and long grey hair. It seemed that he wore a long, dark green robe and brown pants underneath with a straw hat on his head. The man that he played was bald and had a long white moustache; I always wondered how moustaches like that never bothered a man, especially when he was shaving. Wouldn't it be easier just to shave the whole face? How did a man shave a beard? I decided to leave these questions unanswered as I continued to observe. Both of the old men looked kind in their own ways, maybe it was the softness in their eyes, or the gentle way they smiled.

Then there was the onlooker, he was young, probably around my age, fifteen or sixteen, he glared at the game, and the rigidness in his movements displayed his impatience. His left I was scarred from what appeared to be a burn; I could barely see his short black hair underneath the straw hat that he was wearing. Although, I have to say that he does look rather familiar, I just couldn't place my finger on it.

I let out a long sigh as I drank my water and watched the intense game, one move right after another. Rather quickly, too. Eventually, the two men had created the shape of a flower, and the bald one spoke, "welcome brother, the lotus opens wide to those who know the secrets."

"What are you old gasbags talking about," the teenager barked impatiently. I furrowed my eyebrows and frowned, what had him in a hurry?

The bearded man turned to him "I always tried to tell you that pai sho is more than just a game," he stated in a matter-of-fact manner.

A chair screeched from across the room as another man that I hadn't taken notice of before yelled rather suddenly, "I'm not waiting all night for these geezers to finish yapping!" He stomped over to the gaming table, tall and broad with jet black hair. It was apparent that he liked to take care of his body, he was rather muscular, and his tunic was opened wide, showing off his ripped body. The man who accompanied him looked to be on the rich side, with a long, combed bead and even a long weird moustache. He was pretty scrawny and dusted off his clothing as if he appalled being filthy. "It's over," the big one screamed, "you two fugitives are coming with me."

The bald man rushed to get in between them, facing the two that were accused and jabbed a finger at them, "I knew it, you two are wanted criminals with a giant bounty on your heads!" By the way that the man with the beard was smiling, I had a hunch they had an act going.

"I thought you said he would help," said the teen.

Then it finally hit me. The familiar chord they struck finally named. "Zuko and Iroh," I murmured to myself.

"You think you're going to capture them and get all that gold," he asked the bounty hunters, or whatever they are.

The last word he used had everyone perking up and looking at the two men; they all stood with their weapons and gathered around the hunters. I pursed my lips in worry and looked at the exit, good thing I sat close to it. The fighting quickly ensued, in all honesty, it was pretty interesting to watch. I crossed my arms and leaned back in my chair, observing the fight. The scrawny man was an earth bender, more useful than he looked. Movement was caught at the corner of my eye, Iroh, Zuko, and the bald guy cautiously slipped out.

Careful not to grab unwanted attention, I followed them outside to a nearby town. I hadn't realized how much time had passed, it was already night. It was beautiful at night, with the stars lighting up the sky, too bad no one was out to enjoy it. The small town was seemingly deserted. Heh, deserted…in a desert, get it? Gah, horrible pun, but I chuckled anyways at the thought.

Only one building had light coming through the windows, and that was the one that the three had went in. how could I get in there? I had to think this through carefully so I wouldn't be suspected of anything.

I sat down against the building and thought. Walking through the front door was easily out. Climbing through a window would also mean breaking it. I railed through multiple options, and it seemed the best thing to do was wait it out. I took in a deep breath and closed my eyes, falling into another dreamless sleep.

I woke up to a rising sun peeking over the horizon; it went straight into my eyes as I opened them. My arms went up to protect my eyes as I squinted. Instead of adjusting, I averted my eyes and glanced around the street, people were up and walking. With my hands against the building, I pushed myself up and stretched myself out.

The two hunters from last night were asking around for Iroh and Zuko, with a poster of the two. They spotted me and wandered over, the big guy glaring at me for no particular reason, "you're that girl at the tavern last night, do you know where these two guys are?"

He pointed at the poster; I glanced at it, then back at the men. The lie just seemed to slip through my tongue with unusual ease, "no, I haven't. Why are you looking for them?"

The hunter stared at me, clueless. It was obvious that he didn't want me to get the bounty, but it was fun questioning his dim wit. "I-uh," he searched my gaze, and his eyes widened with glee, "you're that girl with the enormous bounty!"

Well, there's only one thing I could think of to say about that right on the spot, "shit." I rarely curse, but that was probably the most valid time I could do it. Why did I have a bounty on my head? Did I actually do a crime? Did I oppose the firelord, which I guess is a crime, but I don't count it as one. I faintly noticed a guy with flowers on a cart, pushing it through the street. I noted to keep an eye on it.

The man aimed a punch right for my head. I used my left arm to block the punch, and did what my instincts told me to do: I kicked him. He bent down and backed away in pain. I took this as the opportunity to make a break for it, because he would recover soon enough, and he has that earthbending friend of his. I frantically searched for the travelling pots and found them further down the street.

I turned a corner and stopped briefly to face back. The hunters had continued their search for Iroh and Zuko, to my relief. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding in and continued my way. The man with the cart was now out of the village. I had to become part of the crowd in order not to get noticed, but I had to hurry, to follow the cart. Once my eyes were set on the cart, they didn't leave, I gently pushed the villagers out of my way, as if I was working with the current, weaving in and out of people, making sure not to run into them or hurt them in any way.

I had to follow the traveler from a safe distance, to make sure I didn't get caught. Since we are in a desert, it would be easy to be spotted, but this guy wasn't the brightest. Good thing the bounty hutners didn't find out.

After a while, to a giant natural rock wall. Zuko and Iroh were nearby, getting out of the pots that they were hiding in. Huh, I should have known, or remembered, because I had forgotten why I was following the dumb dude. Two guards earthbended the wall open, and that's when I appeared, not far behind the two.

I casually walked through the wall and saw a large crowd of people; families, mothers with their hungry children, a man and his wife, people who wanted a new, safe life. At the far end were docks, boats. These people were riding ferries over across the lake to Ba Sing Se. They were desperate to leave this forsaken place ruled by the Fire Nation.

There were lines for booths to get tickets, Iroh and Zuko went right past them, with tickets in hand. I stopped in my tracks and chewed on my bottom lip wit worry. I needed a ticket, but the line was so long…and I needed a passport. I don't even remember seeing any sort of identification in my bag. Should I just play this out and hope all goes well? That was what I was just going to have to do.

The captains were asking for tickets as each person got onto the boat. "Stop right there, girl," said the Captain as I was about to get on, "who are you?"

I hesitated to answer the question, and with confusion, "I'm Olivia. Why?"

"Are you of the Earth Nation?"

Why was I being interrogated, why not just ask for the ticket I don't have? "I- I don't remember." Which is the utterly true.

He snorted, "Yeah right, the boat is full." I inspected the ship behind him and furrowed my brows, there was more than enough room. At least ten more people could get on there with plenty of room left. Why discriminate me?

"There's enough room for at least one more person, sir," I pointed out.

"We don't take people like you," he growled.

"Even-

"She's with us," said a familiar voice, I craned my neck to see Iroh, with a speechless Zuko lurking behind him.

The captain looked at him, then back at me, "where's your ticket?"

"She had lost hers, I apologize for that, kind man."

"I see. I beg my pardon, forgive me miss." He gave a slight bow, "it was rude of me."

Still completely and utterly confused, I smiled, "that's alright," I calmly replied, "It isn't your fault. I forgive you." I walked onto the boat and followed Iroh and Zuko to the opposite side of the boat. "Why did you do that?"

The old man smiled warmly, "someone shouldn't be treated like that just because of their looks. Also, I have been wondering why you are following us."

I gaped at him. Crap, he knew. I looked back, happy to see that Zuko was getting food. I leaned against the railing of the ferry and looked down at the water. "I felt like you guys could help me." That was truth, I couldn't remember my past whatsoever, but I had this feeling in my gut that they could help me. I don't know how or why, but I felt it.

"What do you need help with?"

I was able to look into his eyes without shying away, "to remember." Since I've woken from the fall, all I could remember was how people treated me, my name, and my family was murdered by fire benders. I failed to remember my family and what they looked like. Did I have any siblings? If I did, how many? How old are they? Or was it were they?

"What do you need help remembering, miss?"

"There isn't much I can remember; pretty much my whole life is vague. I can only recall the past week, just after I fell from a tree."

Iroh thought for a moment and shrugged, "we could try. My nephew and I are heading to Ba Sing Se. I hope you don't mind that.

I grinned at him, "I don't mind at all. I think that's where I need to go." The name of the city felt right in my bones, like I had to be there for some reason that I didn't know just yet.

"By the way, my name is Mushi," said Iroh, and Zuko came up, stuffing a bowl of food in his face, which didn't look very appetizing, "and this is my nephew, Lee."

I nodded, "I'm Olivia, it's nice to meet you, Mushi, Lee."

Zuko, or Lee as I should call him walked up to the railing next to Mushi and spat out his food into the water, "Ugh! I'm sick of eating rotten food, and sleeping in the dirt. I'm tired of living like this." Well, he's a complainer.

"Aren't we all," said another guy, who leaned against a post. He had a straw in his mouth and dark brown hair, the boy looked rather familiar to me. He stepped out into the light, "my name's Jet, and these are my Freedom Fighters, Smellerbee, and Longshot."

I looked at the other two that accompanied him, Smellerbee was of average height with messy brown hair and wore a navy blue headband while Longshot was tall and wore a sunhat, a quiver with some arrows were on his back. I could see why he was called Longshot.

Lee glanced back at them, "hello."

Jet stepped closer to Lee, "here's the deal, I hear the Captain's eating like a king while the refugees have to eat all the scraps. Doesn't seem fair, does it?"

Mushi looked at Jet, "what sort of king is he eating like?"

"The fat happy kind." That had Mushi drooling, I held in a giggle from the look on his face and gave all of my attention to Jet. "Do you want to help us…liberate some food?"

Lee looked into his bowl of food, I had to admit it looked rather disgusting, but I would totally eat it like a pig. He threw the bowl into the water, causing me to pout as I longingly looked at bowl as it sank. Lee turned around, "I'm in."

I mentally sighed, it's probably not worth risking, then again, there's nothing to risk. My conclusion was to be lazy and not do anything, so I leaned against the railing and listened to their plans.

I stared at the bowl of food that Lee had given to me. "Thank you," I murmured as I started to eat as if I hadn't eaten in years.

Mushi looked at Smellerbee, "so, Smellerbee. That's an unusual name for a young man."

"Maybe it's because I am not a man," Smellerbee snarled, "I'm a girl." She stood up and stomped away rather abruptly.

"Ah," Mushi called to her, "now I see it's a beautiful name for a lovely girl!"

I sighed and watched Longshot go after her and grabbed her shoulder. He stared at her for several seconds, it was like he was talking to her, but his lips never moved. I was confused, so I went back to eating.

Jet came over and took a seat on the deck, "from what I've heard, people eat like this every night at bas Sing Se. I can't wait to set my eyes on that giant wall."

"It is a magnificent sight," said Mushi.

"You've been there before," I asked with curiosity.

Mushi looked away, "once, when I was a…different man."

"Jet turned his head, "I've done some things in the past that I'm not proud of." His eyes locked onto mine, "but that's why I'm going to Ba Sing Se, for a new beginning. A second chance."

I looked down at my bowl, I had no past to talk about, I couldn't remember anything. Mushi spoke in the silence, "that is very noble of you; I believe people can change their lives if they want to. I believe in second chances."

All I could do was nod in agreement. Maybe, unknowingly, I was getting a second chance.

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**If I could, I would hand out everyone delicious freshly baked cookies to who has stayed with me for this long. I love ya'll! You people are so great!**

**It would mean a lot to me if you reviewed! Even if it is a burn, I like criticism. I like to know people are reading. I'll update as soon as I can, and from what you can tell, we have no idea how long that will take me.**

**So until later! 3333**


	5. Chapter 5

**So I just really wanted to post this so you guys can read it. Fair warning, it hasn't been proofed yet, I'm waiting for my bestest friend ever to do that but she's being all ADD at the moment. You guys are awesome for just reading this, you know that? Well, know you do, now go get yourself a well deserved cookie. Or parfait...I'm addicted to parfaits right now XD**

**Disclaimer: the characters and the main story line belong to their respective creators, whereas I make my own character and my own little story in this big thingie.**

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"So Ms. Olivia, Mr. Lee and Mr. …uh, Mushy, is it," asked the old lady rather blandly. It was hard not to scrunch my nose up at the sight of her, eyebrows as thick as caterpillars, a rather large nose, and there was hair on the large mole on her forehead. She was probably one of the most disgusting women I had ever seen, and her voice made her sound all congested. Observing all of this had me at a gagging reflex.

"It's pronounced Mushi," he corrected politely.

She lowered the tickets and glared at him, "you telling me how to do my job?"

He had seen were he went wrong and answered in a soothing voice, "ah no no, but may I just say you're like a flower in bloom, your beauty is intoxicating." Mushi bowed his head at the last part to emphasize his flattery.

Before I could see a reaction, I inhaled sharply and looked away, but hearing it was more than enough, "mm, you're pretty easy on the eyes yourself handsome." Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw the woman wink and lifted her hand in what mimicked a cat-like motion, "mrrow. Welcome to Ba Sing Se."

It was too much to bear any longer, I turned around as she stamped the passports, I glanced at Lee, who appeared he was about to puke himself from the scene that he had just witnessed. Mushi had walked back to us rather cheerfully, Lee snatched away his passport, "I'll forget I saw that."

Mushi handed my passport to me, which I took kindly. "I hope I forget I saw that," I cringed from the images imprinted in my head. We then walked to where we would be waiting for the train.

We sat sound at a round bench, Lee folded his arms with a hard look in his eyes, so I decided to sit next to Mushi and avoid his anger. The old man went on to talking about how delicious tea was, just rambling on and on. I wasn't really paying attention; I subtly searched for a tea stand so I could stop listening about how much he craved the tea.

Jet then appeared out of nowhere and took a seat by Lee, "so, you guys got plans once you're in the city?"

"Get your hot tea here," yelled a man pushing around a tea cart, "the finest tea in Ba Sing Se!"

Mushi eagerly raised his hand and called out, "oh, Jasmine please."

I sighed in relief as he got the tea. Then he took his first sip and spat it out in disgust, "ah, the coldest tea in Ba Sing Se is more like it. What a disgrace."

Jet looked at Lee, "can I talk to you for a second," he glanced at me, "you can come if you want." Jet got up and walked out of earshot.

Lee and I slowly followed him, "we have a much better chance of making it in the city if we stick together." Jet looked at us, "do you want to join the freedom fighters?"

I hope he had been asking Lee and not me, I didn't help them whatsoever- well, a little bit, putting some input whenever I thought they could improve on their plan that one time on the ferry. That's about it, though. Good thing he had paid more attention to Lee than he did to me. "Thanks, but I don't think you want me in your gang. And I don't even know why she's staying with us," Lee nodded over towards me.

I sighed as I thought about a way to reply to that, but Jet spoke first, "come on, we made a great team that night with the captain's food. Think of all the good we can do for these refugees."

Lee turned around, and his golden eyes gave a stern look, "I said no." And the stormed back to Mushi.

Jet then looked at me, "how about you? You had clever input, a great strategist, we need that."

I smacked my lips together and replied, "I have amnesia, I can't remember anything about my past, and I can't remember if I know how to fight. I'm sorry."

I turned around and walked back to Lee and Mushi. Lee hit the tea out of Mushi's hands, and gritted through his teeth, "what are you doing firebending your tea? For a wise old man that was a pretty stupid move."

Oh, so they're firebenders. I had almost forgotten, I just shrugged it off and sat back down by Mushi. Lee sat next to me and leaned over, whispering in my ear, "did you hear any of that."

I nonchalantly nodded, "yes, I heard it all."

"If you speak a word," he growled, "I swear, I will-"

"No, nephew, don't threaten the girl," Mushi interjected, he then looked at me, "will you keep our tiny little secret? We are just trying to make a living, to have a second chance."

I couldn't help but smile, 'of course I don't mind, Mushi. Right now I don't even know if I can bend or not."

Lee stared at me, anger and doubt radiated, "what do you mean you can't remember? It's a part of life."

I shrugged, "I fell. A really long fall. Now I can't remember anything before that. Well, except for three things," I looked down at my lap and knitted my hands together, "my name, how people have treated me, and that my family was killed." I let out a broken sigh and leaned forward, placing my head in my hands. Why couldn't I remember? "I can't even remember if I have any siblings, and I can't remember what my family looks like…or even what nation I'm from." Was that even a lie? I knew where I came from, but sort of. A different world, but I'm living a different life now, that's not my life anymore, now I have a whole different one.

That's how I have two separate memories; the evil angels that decided to drop me from the sky…or did I fall off a tree? I bit my lip. Did I fall from a tree? I gasped as I recalled in vast vagueness what had happened. "I…I was being chased." I remembered getting burned and pulled up my right sleeve to reveal a harsh scar on my upper arm, like a burn slowly healing. "I got this burn…from the bounty hunters that were hunting me down, or were they mercenaries?" I looked up, past what the eye could see as the ceiling and into smoky memories. "Was I deflecting the fire as well as dodging it? I sent an element back at them…that means I can bend. We were high up the trees when they finally got me," I pointed out the burn, "another one finally got me off balance and I fell." Well that was pathetic. I fell from a tree and got amnesia. Of all things, a tree, that would happen to me.

I felt a gentle hand on my back and noted it was Mushi's, "do not worry Olivia, you'll remember everything eventually. Maybe faster than you know."

"You have a bounty on my head," Lee restated what I had said, "why?"

I shrugged as I tried to pull up the memories, but they shrunk into the blackness at the back of my mind. "I don't know…I can't remember, Lee."

The teen huffed, clearly aggravated as he glared at the world, "so we're helping you remember your past." He was silent a moment and his face relaxed, getting rid of all traces of anger. "What if you lost it…for the better," his voice lowered with the question. To my surprise, he sounded…worried. I was not used to this, he ignored me the whole way here and now he's worried for my well-being? Those two things can't possibly fit in a sentence together. Lee is worried about me. Mentally, I shook my head, it didn't sound right. Was it wrong that I liked it?

I shrugged, "I just want to know about my family, at the least, and how they died. I want to remember them. I want to know."

He sighed and his eyes finally locked onto mine. I haven't noticed how beautiful they were. Okay, I'll admit I love eyes, that's the first thing I tend to notice about everyone. "Just…just make sure you don't hurt yourself." I think he caught on to what he was saying, and looked away, "you're so clumsy it's embarrassing."

I couldn't help but stifle a laugh at that, it was true. At least I knew he had been observing me instead of ignoring me the whole time. Mushi leaned into me and whispered in my ear, "I think he has a soft spot for you." My cheeks grew hot and my smile widened at his words.

"Last call for Ba Sing Se," the announcer said. The three of us stood up and got into the train. Mushi was the first to sit down, next to a couple with what seems not to be even a week old baby, while Lee sat next to him, and I was on the end.

My heartbeat quickened at the thought of entering the city. Starting out my new life. I hands curled into fists as I fought off my anxiety. Will I like it here? Will I fit in? Or will I just be the outcast once more, like I always was? My palms gathered sweat as my thoughts grew darker, but there was a light at the end of the tunnel. These two men who I accompanied have given me so much already and they're willing to give more. There had to be a way I could repay them. I would help them in any way I could, even with the little things.

"Lee," my soft voice beckoned out of the blue, getting his attention.

"What do you want," he asked flatly.

"Why did you leave?" The question had been wandering through my mind for a while, poking out at random times, and I felt like I had known the answer before, but I just can't remember it.

His brows scrunched together, along with his nose as he let out another aggravated sigh, "I'll tell you when we are alone. Now will you just leave me be?"

It was my turn to sigh, at least it wouldn't be an awkward silence. I looked out the window across from us, taking in the sight of the wall. It stretched long enough to go out of eyesight as it crawled over the mountains, separating the land. It was a breathtaking sight. That very moment, I thought to myself, "I wonder if there is anyone else out there, like me, being transported to a different world to belong somewhere, to be needed."

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**Now it's my rambling time! Yay! I need to ramble and I don't care if you read it (okay, maybe I do). Started out in college about a month ago thinking that I was going to be that quiet girl that would make no friends and everyone would abandon me. The first day I came in I found out my best friend hax a class at the same time two rooms down, which is awesome because that means we get to spend time together without having to make time on our schedules. I found out two high school graduates from where I went have two classes with me, which means familiar people, yay! Then I randomly made friends with a guy and I was taken into the group of true geekdom. Which I absolutely love, they're the first people who know what I talk about constantly and we geek out about the same things. And they introduced me to Dungeons and Dragons (fun game). Then a guy in my english class last week saw my DnD character sheets and waited for me after class to talk about it, we became friends, exchanged numbers, and he's quite awesome. The next day this guy introduced me to another guy, who's also awesome, and new to the area. The second guy asked for my number and now I text them both constantly, as well as talk. I don't know if they like me or if we're just friends, I've never been in a relationship before or even on a date...I would say more but I just don't know. If you read this and well...yeah...just PM me please. **

**Anyways, reviews are my water of life! Please review! It keeps me going, even if it's a burn, and if you notice any grammatical errors or typos, it would be awesome if you pointed them out.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hi! Isn't it awesome that I finally have this up? It took me three days to type it because I kept on getting distracted by so many little things. I honestly don't know what to say because I'm totally brain dead, so I'll just let you read the story.**

**Disclaimer: the whole show isn't mine, I only made up this little side story line, a character, and Akuraice created Akura.**

**Enjoy!**

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The three of us walked around the shopping center, and something attracted the eyes of Mushi, causing him to wonder off. Meaning that he left Lee and I alone in this awkward silence once again. I hated awkward silences, I never knew how to break them, especially with Lee. He just doesn't want to talk when I talk first…except for a few times.

A few seconds easily stretched out into minutes, which felt like hours. Lee decided to finally speak up to break the silence between us, "so…you can't remember your parents…at all?"

I looked up at the sky, as if it could give me the answers that I sought out for. Nothing had come to mind except for an ache in my chest. I shook my head, "I can't remember anything about them…not how they treated me, not even what they look like." My eyes stung with tears, reluctant to show them I stared at the ground as we walked. I took a deep breath, he wouldn't see me weak, not now, "it hurts not being able to remember. Most of all, my own family. It's all I want to remember, at the very least."

His eyes were on me, I could feel them trying to peek through my hair and to my face. I didn't dare to look up, "why do you want to remember so badly?"

I fought the urge to glare up at him, "do you know what it's like not being able to recall your childhood? Or not even remembering your own family!" these words came out of my mouth like venom, "do you know what life is like when you can't remember your own past?" I wanted to walk away and cry, but Mushi hasn't come back from his errands, and I don't know where I could go. Ba Sing Se is a large city, almost a nation in of itself. Right now, all I craved to do is be away from Lee.

It was a good thing for us that he didn't say anything after my outbursts, it probably would have upset me even more. Several long minutes trailed by, allowing me to assess everything that just happened between us. Guilt engorged my stomach, "sorry…I don't know what came over me, Lee."

"No," he stuttered, "it's alright- it's my fault for asking in the first place…I understand why you would want to remember. But wha-what if you regret trying to remember?" Was he worried again? I still can't understand him…first he's curious, then he's harsh, then apologetic…and now worried? I don't get guys…or Lee at the least. He's rather difficult to understand.

I shrugged, doing my best to act oblivious to his changing moods, "I guess I'll just have to live with it. But I think it would be better if I knew them anyways."

Finally, Mushi came back…holding a vase of flowers? We both stared at him wordlessly as he practically strutted blissfully between us. Wasn't he going to tell us why? Then he sighed happily, "I just want our place to look nice in case someone brings home a lady friend." He nudged Lee as he raised his eyebrows suggestively, causing me to giggle. Mushi then looked at me, "I thought you would like them, Olivia."

I gave him a kind smile, "I do, they're beautiful, Mushi."

His shoulders seemed to relax, "it's good that you like them." Why were these so important?

"This city is a prison," he bursted out, interrupting the good mood that came at last, "I don't want to make a life here."

"Life happens wherever you are, whether you make it or not," replied Mushi, his tone full of the elderly wisdom that I knew was in there somewhere. "Now I found us some jobs and we start this afternoon."

A job, it's good to know that I will earn my way living here, alongside people who care for me…or at least Mushi. Lee still confused me with his behavior towards me, it was obvious he pretty much hated the world, and I think he wanted to hate me, but something makes him soft.

I hope for this job I would at least not get burned constantly like my first job. That was not fun, fryers might like me, but I don't like them back. Or was it by a whip made of fire? A crazy lady was trying to kill me with a fire whip, but I was able to decapitate her before I ran. But how was I able to do it? It was so blurry. It burned a smiley face into my left arm. Was the scar still there? I pulled up my left sleeve and saw the face just a few inches below my wrist. A chuckle emitted from my mouth without thinking.

"What is it, Miss Olivia," Mushi asked, catching my attention.

I looked up, "oh, I did laugh out loud, sorry about that. I remembered how I got another scar."

Lee perked up, "what scar?"

"This smiley face burn right here," I held up my arm to show them, it still looked quite nasty. The scar looked somewhat swollen with pink and rusty red in it, some areas more shiny than others, and one part appeared to have bled rather recently.

I watched Lee's eyes narrow, "what happened?"

"Got in a fight, chick with a fire whip got me. It was rather painful…"

"And you say that so casually?" Lee yelled, causing us all to stop, he grabbed my wrist and held it out so we could both see the burn, "someone did this to you. And it's still irritating you, look at that- it was bleeding recently, were you picking at it?"

"Are you my mother?" I retorted smoothly as I pulled my arm out of his grip, "I'm sorry I don't feel anger, not the way that you do. I at least remember disabling the enemy before I ran off." My eyes closed as I let out a long, deep breath, the palms of my hands faced towards the ground as I gathered my calm self. I opened my eyes and a shameful smile appeared on my face as I murmured, "I did pick at it, I'm sorry. I tend to pick at things when I think. I apologize for worrying you, Lee. Please forgive me."

Out of the corner of my eyes, I looked at a bewildered Mushi, what was he thinking? I shook my head and looked back at Lee, putting my arm between us once more so we could look at it, "look at it. It's not that bad, compared to other burns that we have seen. And you know this, Lee. It will heal in time, sure it will scar, but we don't know how long that scar will last." I looked up at his eyes, they really were a beautiful gold, there were so many emotions in them it was almost overwhelming, "some won't go way though, but they don't define us, they just tell a part of our story. It's our hearts that define us, Lee. Please understand that." I wrapped my arms around him and gave him a hug, to my surprise he hugged back, just before I let go and walked away.

The other two quickly caught up, standing on either side of me, "Miss Olivia, you are one amazing young woman." Mushi said out of the blue.

"Um. Thank you, Mushi," I said, flattered. What made me amazing? I'm just me, just a girl trying to remember.

It wasn't long until we got to the apartment we would stay in and Mushi set the flowers down on the center of the table in the living room. The place was rather decent, not big, not small, but just the right size for three people. Sadly, there were only two bedrooms, so two of us had to share a room. I insisted that Mushi needed his own room. He's a nice old man, but he'd probably scare Lee or keep him up all night with his snoring. That would mean I didn't get much privacy, but I would sacrifice it for the sake of the old man.

I was forced to share a room with Lee, and that's what I got for pursuing Mushi to have the other room, no matter how determined he was to let me have a room of my own, I wanted him to have his own even more so. Lee couldn't even put in any input as we debated, but I think he had fun watching the both of us used kind words against each other. I had the far side of the room, my twin sized bed just a few feet away from the corner. The way the room was set up made me think of a hotel, a table in between our beds. The only down side to it was that the bathroom was at Lee's side. I mentally shrugged and told myself to deal with it.

After we settled down, we rested for a while and ate some lunch. Most of the talk was produced by Mushi and Lee telling him to keep his mouth shut, until Mushi asked my opinion of things, such as second chances and the philosophy of bending. Out of the corner of my eyes as I answered each question, I saw Lee's eyes, wheels were turning in that mind of his, I wondered what he was thinking.

Eventually, we headed to the job that Mushi claimed he had gotten for us. Butterflies gathered in my stomach as my hands grew hot with sweat on our way there. What would we be doing?

I mentally sighed as the tea shop came in sight; I should have known he would get us jobs here. Mushi knocked on the door and the owner let us in, lecturing about what he expected out of the three of us. Our manager was a short man, just a bit shorter than Mushi. His black moustache was long and pointy, hanging a bit off his face and he had a small beard at his chin, making his face seem more angular. His long black hair was put back into a braid. Something about him made him seem the eager kind, almost desperate, maybe he wasn't doing too well on business. He then handed us the aprons, "well, you look like official tea servers, how do you feel?"

"Ridiculous," Lee answered almost immediately. He really could be a snob at times, I had to fight the urge to slap his arm. Just the thought made me smile, even more so when I imagined the outcome.

I shrugged, "ok, I guess." Lee glared at me, causing me to grin innocently.

Mushi was having a struggle trying to tie the back of his apron together, "uh, could this possibly come in a larger size?"

"I have extra string in the back," answered our employer as he poured us some tea, "have some tea while you wait." He handed us each a cup of tea before he went to the back.

Mushi was the first to take a sip of the tea, his eyes widened in disgust as he took the cup away from his mouth, "ugh, this tea is nothing more than hot leaf juice."

"Uncle, that's what all tea is," groaned Lee.

"How could a member of my own family say something so horrible," he exclaimed. I covered my mouth with a hand to stifle a giggle. Mushi grabbed the teapot, "we'll have to make some major changes around here." He stomped off to the window and emptied the pot. Immediately, he started making more, better tea.

I tilted my head in thought, "tea not only has leaves, but herbs, spices, and fruit. All depending on which tea you drink. And I like a little bit of sugar in my tea, because honestly, tea is an acquired taste."

"Still hot leaf juice," Lee grumbled.

I smiled and put a hand on his shoulder, "there, there. It's not like you'll have to drink it. Just serve people. It shouldn't be too bad."

He looked at me with that 'are you serious' gaze of his. I grinned, "patience is a virtue, Lee. Hopefully you'll learn that." The look on his face said it all and I broke out in laughter as the manager came back out with the string that Mushi needed for his apron. "Alright, Lee, let's get to work."

Throughout the work day, I couldn't stop trying to remember my parents. What did they look like? Did I resemble them in any way? Were they nice? Did they love me? What happened to them? So many questions buzzed through my mind.

I got more tea and picked up the tray carefully, still not used to carrying around hot liquid that could possibly spill and burn me rather painfully. I made my way to the tables, but me being me, I collided into a soft, sturdy wall and dropped the tray as I fell back.

I heard the tea set shatter as it hit the ground; I winced at the high pitched noise that might cause me to get fired. Over a stupid mistake of not paying attention to where I was going. So why was I hired again? Oh yeah, Mushi helped with that. My heart pounded in my ears as I stared at the ground, where what I ran into was.

Feet. A person? I bumped into a person? I'm so screwed. My eyes trailed up the body and met his face. A young man around my age, rather tall, too, probably around 6'2", his chocolate hair was somewhat long, though it didn't touch his shoulders. His sea blue eyes were like those I could dive into. His skin was the same shade of Katara's and Sokka's, forcing me to believe that he was from the water tribe, as well as his blue clothing which was in the same style as Katara's and Sokka's father. I was slightly amazed with myself for remembering that much.

Of course I was looking up at him since I was still on the ground, but I was oddly comfortable. I can't believe I ran into a person. My face heated up, "I'm so sorry, I wasn't paying attention and-"

The guy held up his hand, stifling my apologies. "It's alright, it's my fault." He held out his hand, "are you okay?"

His eyes really were beautiful, so deep and easy to get lost in. It was a while before I realized I was staring, I wonder how long he stood there? I could feel my cheeks redden as I took his hand. He hoisted me up with surprising ease. "I'm Akura," he said in a somewhat, deep, kind voice.

"Olivia," I mumbled, still unable to get over the fact that I spilled tea in front of him. And not to mention I ruined a perfectly nice set, shattered all over the floor. I looked up into his eyes, "are you a…waterbender?" I asked hesitantly.

"Partly," he replied, giving me this cocky, vaguely crooked grin that I found somewhat alluring. I tilted my head with the unspoken question, waiting for him to explain the rest. "It's a story for another time, Olivia." I think I liked it when he used my name. Akura seemed quite the nice, polite guy. "But I can tell you, I don't remember too much, but I know I wasn't born here- in this world. The farthest back I can remember is this blinding white light, and two angel-looking guys." He laughed at himself, as if he didn't even believe it, "it's weird."

I was speechless. Was he really from the same world? I was only hoping that there would be another, but I didn't know that it would be true. And those angel dudes didn't bother to mention anything. I felt like strangling one of them, nice to imagine though. I wasn't the only one. "I'm not the only one," was all I could manage to pull out of my mouth before I regained my composure and rolled my shoulders back. "Why did you come here," I kindly asked in my usual soft tone.

Akura ran a finger through his hair, which looked rather soft to the touch, "I wanted some tea."

I frowned, barely able to conceal a smile, "I mean, here, this world."

He shrugged, "Ask those angel guys that. Same as you, I guess. Maybe there's something pretty important going on up there, they didn't tell me anything." I looked over at Lee, who was tending to something behind the counter. Akura's smile faded, "who is he?"

I froze with panic and stumbled over my next sentence, "that's Lee. He and his Uncle Mushi helped me ever since I arrived here…they've been so kind to me." I lightly blushed when I saw Lee look up from his work and I faced Akura to see his response.

He was glaring…at Lee, he quickly noticed that I was looking back at him and his expression completely changed, he was smiling softly, but it seemed as if he was holding something back, "oh, uh…that's nice of them. Well, you should get back to work, don't want your boss to get mad at you…and could you bring me a cup of tea?" I would say his response was just a bit awkward. Just a bit.

I gently smiled at him, "that's a good idea. Let's hope I'll not get fired and I'll be right back. Let me sweep this up first and then I'll get your tea. Go ahead and take a seat. Oh and what kind of tea would you like?"

He smiled, "your preference."

I smiled back before I turned around and wandered over to the counter to grab the broom and dustpan.

Mushi came to my side and whispered, "do you know him?"

I shook my head, "just met him today. His name is Akura." I looked down and I took the broom and dustpan.

"It seems like he's attracted to you. I bet he will be coming back tomorrow," Mushi smiled.

I chuckled but said nothing and went over to the mess I made and swept it up. I can't believe that I did this, I ran into a customer. A rather nice, attractive customer at that. One I finished I threw out the trash and put everything back. "Mushi, can you brew up some scarlet cloud tea, please?"

"Of course Miss Olivia," he grinned. "It will be read in a few minutes."

"Thank you, Mushi." Lee was back from serving his tables and I leaned against the counter next to him.

He spoke before I was able to say anything, "saw that incident you had, you okay?"

I shrugged, "I shattered a tea set, but I'm not bleeding. I'm good." Though I hope I won't get fired first day, which would royally suck.

"That's good. Who's that guy you ran into? Did you know him?"

"No, just met him today. He seems nice."

"I want you to be careful around him, okay?" His eyes finally met mine, "something about him…it's just off."

I furrowed my brows, "there's no need to worry about me, Lee. I'll be fine."

"You can't remember anything, what you do remember, it's not much. Be careful around him, okay?"

I huffed, "fine. I will." I looked back down at my hands, "please…don't tell the boss I ruined a tea set."

"There's no need to say anything about it, we have more than enough sets."

I smiled, "thank you, Lee."

Mushi went to pour a customer more tea, and the customer smiled up at him, "this is the best tea in the city."

"The secret ingredient is love," said Mushi, making Lee and I look up as we got more tea. All of the tables in the shop were occupied by customers. Happy customers at that, chatting excitedly to each other as they drank their tea.

The door slammed open as Jet busted in, pointing accusingly at Lee, Mushi, and I, "those two men are firebenders. So is the girl!" Jet took out his hooked swords, ready to fight.

I was, once again, confused. I can't remember if I can firebend, "what are you talking about?" Of course I had to back up Lee and Mushi. They've been helping me, and they allowed me to live with them.

"I know they're firebenders," yelled jet, "I saw the old man heating his tea?"

One of the customers, probably some sort of officer replied calmly, "he works in a tea shop."

Jet looked at him with narrowed eyes, "he's a firebender I'm telling you!"

I shook my head at Jet's stupidity. Stating that we- or they- were firebenders without any proof at all. It made him look crazy. The two officers stood up, "drops your swords boy, nice and easy."

Jet got in his strong stance once again, completely ignoring the two men, "you'll have to defend yourself, then everyone will know. Go ahead, show them what you can do."

Lee stepped up, taking the officer's swords, "you want a show, I'll give you a show." He then kicked a table at Jet, who easily cut it and jumped over, attacking Lee with both of his hooked swords.

Lee leapt onto a table behind him, dodging the attack and got in a cat stance, but quickly dropped out if it as Jet swung a sword at Lee. He stepped to the side at the table was cut in half, and it was cut again, and again. Lee was able to dodge it all and got into a cat stance once again and leapt into the air. As he landed, his blades crossed as Jet doubled back and ran at him again. This was a fight between two sword masters.

Lee was forced to back out of the shop as Jet attacked him. Both of them were already breathing rather heavily, struggling to keep up with the other. "You must be getting tired of using those swords," Jet smirked, "why don't you go ahead and firebend at me."

Lee fended him off as Mushi yelled, "please son, you're confused. You don't know what you're doing!"

I continued to watch the fight between Jet and Lee; it was terrifying and amazing to watch at the same time. I was worried for Lee; he could possibly get hurt in this whole mess. But he's so graceful when he uses those swords; it's like an extension of his body, so precise and beautiful. I wanted to look away and watch at the same time, I didn't want to see Lee get hurt.

"Bet you wish it can help you out with a little fire blast right now," Jet said as they fought each other with their lives.

"You're the one who needs help," yelled Lee, aiming a cut for Jet's head, and he bent back. Dodging it right one time.

Jet leapt back, "you see that, the fire nation is trying to silence me, it'll never happen." He jumped back at Lee, resuming the attack.

Somehow, they got into fighting back-to-back, it was kind of weird, but cool to watch at the same time. Even though I gasped every time Lee almost got hit. I knew he was going to be fine, but I couldn't help but worry for him. Why did I feel like this?

Less than a minute later, the Dai Li appeared from the midst of the crowd. "Drop your weapons," they said. They're rather creepy, too.

Lee and Jet separated, and Jet pointed at Lee, "arrest them, they're firebenders!"

Iroh replied, "this poor boy is confused, we're just simple refugees."

"This young man wrecked my tea shop and assaulted my employees," accused our manager.

The officer spoke up, "it's true sir, we saw the whole thing. This crazy kind attacked the finest tea maker in the city."

Mushi blushed, "oh, that's very sweet."

The two Dai Li walked up to Jet, "come up with us, son."

Jet swung a sword at one of them, and a Dai Li caught it with his hand. They took his sword away and tied his wrists together, and he yelled, "you don't understand, they're Fire Nation, you have to believe me!"

Lee, Mushi, and I stood there, watching him being taken away as the crowd dispersed. I then looked at Lee and blushed, thankful it was night. "Are you alright?"

He nodded, "I'm fine."

"You were really good with those swords… a master, really."

Lee smiled gently, "thank you."

"Would you mind teaching me how to use them?" I asked. His fight inspired me to learn how to defend myself using swords. After all, he was a pro at it, so graceful and precise.

He furrowed his brows in confusion, "I thought a girl like you wouldn't want to know how to fight."

I couldn't help but sigh, "remember I have a bounty on my head? Remember when I told you I recall being hunted down by firebenders," I muttered over the last part, still trying to get over my lack of memory.

"Oh…yeah," he stammered, "we could start tomorrow night, after work if you'd like."

I smiled, "that sounds good." We headed home and I pondered over what happened today, very eventful in the very least. We got jobs, I met a guy from the same world I came from, but his recollection of memories are different from mine; he knew he wasn't born here, but I felt like I was born here as well as from Earth. I hope I get to talk to him again so I could understand him more. Akura seemed like a really nice guy, he could turn out to be a good friend, but Lee could be right about him…

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**Oooooh, I created bad vibes and I have no clue why...the story just headed that way as I typed. And believe it or not, I have that smiley face burn, it's healing up quite fast for a second degree. It makes me smile because it smiles back. the evil fryers...they like me a little too much.**

**Anyways, I would love reviews, I like criticism, and if you liked it, I like to know that you liked it. :) You guys are awesome. Thank you for reading!**


	7. Chapter 7

**I apologize once again for the long wait. Like…a really long wait. Did you know how freaking busy college can be? Especially when you have a job? Pretty busy. And of course there's other stuff going on. Ohohohohoh, and I'm a BETA for a writer that I have befriended! :D Her pen name on here is our-dreams. And her story is_ Black Falcon_. If you like the show Young Justice and you don't mind an OC (like this story lol), then I totally suggest for you to check it out. **

**I love you guys for sticking with me, and I enjoy the newcomers! Thank you everyone! I hope you enjoy!**

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I inhaled sharply as Lee kicked me away from him once again. I staggered back, panting heavily. He held his sword in front of me once again, his face expressionless as he said, "you're dead."

I slumped as I looked at him, "do you think I would be winning when I started eight days ago?"

He smirked, "then that means you'll just have to try harder."

I took in a deep breath, suppressing a growl; he's been doing this to me whenever we trained. We started sparring the day after he started teaching me. I guess that's a little too quick to introduce something dangerous, but he did. Why would he trust me with dual swords so soon? Probably because I was fighting him and he was way better than me. Lee was a good teacher, to my surprise, great at explaining what and why I was doing, and I think it helped that I was also a visual learner. As we sparred, he would compliment on some of my moves, and then told me what I needed to improve on during and after the match.

"Are you too tired to continue," Lee questioned. He was confident in me, but I could see the worry in his eyes. I do have new bruises and minor cuts, but the cuts were from my clumsiness and the bruises…well, I've been training.

I shook my head and a corner of my lips lifted up, "no, we're just getting started." I ran at him with my twin swords and feinted, pivoting around him. I already knew that he would, but I was ready to cut him, and he blocked it and countered with his usual ease. I was able to dodge it in time and back away as I began to wonder how to disarm him.

Lee advanced towards me as I thought, and soon enough, he lunged. Naturally I blocked, both of his twin swords were in his right hand, my left sword was inside, to parry his blade. I took a step closer and brought my sword up, while touching his blade the whole time. I wrapped the sword around his and pointed the tip of mine outside of his blade and made a quick jerk.

The swords flew out of his hand, landing a few feet away. I pointed my left sword at his chest and my right over my head, in a dragon stance, "you're dead."

I smiled to myself; I actually used my brain for once. This is what I get for paying attention in math class and applying it to life! I was actually able to disarm Lee, a sword master. The sudden thought made me hope he didn't go easy on me. That would put me down quite a bit.

Lee smiled at me, a soft, sweet smile, "good job, Olivia. How did you figure out to disarm me?"

I shrugged, murmuring, "I just did it."

I went to hand the swords to Lee, but he put his hands up, "not yet. Let me teach you one more thing today. No more sparring for today, I promise."

I twirled a sword in my hand and grinned. What can I say? I'm an eager learner. All of this came to me as if I had learned it years ago, so I don't have to have the trouble remembering what I learned in the past few days when it just feels like a refresher.

He picked up his swords from the ground, "we'll start with the crane stance. You stand one once foot, your other at your knee, one hand at your hand, the other by the leg that you lifted. Like this." He showed me how to do it, and I walked around him, taking note of his posture. After I nodded, he stood normally and put his swords down, "try it."

So I did, lifting my left foot up to my knee, doing my best to maintain balance as I lifted my right arm above my head, positioning my hands to where they're supposed to be. The sword in my right hand was pointed to the direction I was looking, and the one in my left hand was downwards towards the ground. Once I was steady enough, Lee stepped in closer to me, putting a hand on mine and moved it up slightly, "Don't want your arm too close to your head, so if someone hits you, you won't hurt yourself."

My breath hitched in my throat as I noticed the distance between us. He was so close, I could smell him, even in sweat, he smelled amazing. "There," he said as he took a step back and crossed his arms, "that's perfect. Memorize that stance, maintain the balance, it can be used to dodge and block your opponent." He picked up his swords, "now remember, your aim is not to kill the enemy, just to disable them. There are three vital areas to stop him from attacking you."

I got out of the crane stance and tilted my head in interest, "really?" After a minute of thinking, I asked, "the tendons?"

Lee gave a nod and a small smile, "that's correct. The tricep, so he can't flex, the bicep so he can't move," he motioned the area just above his elbow, "make sure not to get too high on the bicep. And then the thigh, so he can't walk. And if he keeps coming after you, do the other side."

Ouch. Getting sliced there must hurt. A lot. Doesn't getting sliced just hurt in general? Why am I even thinking this? Silly me, having inward conversations with myself. I nodded, "Noted."

He continued with the lesson for about another half hour, showing me a movement then stopping to make sure I did it correctly and continued. When it was finished, I handed him my swords, smiling like a doofus because I love what I learn, "thank you for teaching me, Lee."

He chuckled and shook his head, "do you really have to say that after every time we practice?"

I nodded enthusiastically, "yes. I love learning. You should've known that by now."

"You're a fast learner. What takes years for people to learn…it takes you hours. You have talent."

I looked down at the ground with my hands clasped together, "thank you." Compliments directed towards me, I wasn't entirely used to. It was nice, but I'm a modest girl and I give other people the compliments, usually not the other way around.

"Go ahead inside, I'll put the swords away," he told me as he walked over to the case. I walked inside went to our bedroom. I sat down on my bed, then one farthest from the door.

Lee then walked in with two apples, he tossed one to me and I eagerly caught it and took a bite from it, savoring the fresh juices of the apple as I chewed it. I swallowed and grinned at him, "thanks, Lee."

He smiled back, but of course it wasn't a huge smile, it was one of his rare, genuine smiles, which happened more often than it did a few days ago, "no problem."

I couldn't help but lightly blush, we grew closer over the past week, and it felt good to have someone my age to talk to. Lee frequently asked if I remembered anything about my past, and so far no such luck. He seemed quite curious about it now that I think about it. I looked at Lee, "we don't have work tomorrow, do we?"

He shook his head, 'we have the day off tomorrow, so training is in the morning."

"Figures," I sighed.

I woke up gasping for air. The dream still ran vividly through my mind, replaying in my head over and over again. It was hot in here- oh- I'm sweating. I then noticed Lee; he was sitting on my bed, probably trying to wake me up. "Did I wake you," I asked tiredly.

He nodded, "yeah, you did," he answered softly. I could see his eyes shining in the darkness, awake and full of worry, his hand was on my arm, caressing me. Did he even realize he was doing that? "Were you having a nightmare?"

"I think it was a memory," I was breathing heavily and brought my hands to my forehead.

"What was it about?"

I avoided his eye contact and looked down, "the death of my parents." I felt my eyes starting to water as the memory ran fresh through my mind, retelling the story.

_Emerald eyes held the determination and worry of my mother as she ushered me into the closet. "Stay quiet, no matter what happens," she softly ordered. As she said it sent shivers down my spine and I grew frightened as I nodded silently. She closed the door and I peeked through a small hole as the Firebenders piled into the room. _

"_Where are they," one of the men demanded._

_She looked at them, her demeanor showed nothing of what she must have felt inside. "Who are you talking about?" How could she remain so calm and tranquil?_

_Another snarled, "You know exactly who we're talking about! Where are they?" He grabbed Mother by the neck and shoved her against the wall, making her black hair fall from her intricate bun._

_Her hands grabbed onto his wrist, trying to rip it away from her, "I told you," she choked, "I don't know…who you're… talking about."_

_The first one narrowed his eyes, his voice had a hidden meaning behind his question, "are you sure?" if she didn't give them the stuff they wanted…_

"_I. Do. Not. Know," she said slowly and defiantly._

_The one that held her sighed, "fine then, I guess we'll just have to kill you."_

_She made no scream. She didn't look frightened at all, but courageous, as a tear managed to slide down her cheek. The man drew back his right hand, summoning fire on his palm, but I also saw something else. A spark; a blue flashing light, I couldn't identify what it was though. He struck her with the heel of his hand, and she immediately went limp. The soldier let go of her and she fell to the ground, her body still and lifeless._

_A few months later, my father was getting beaten by a large group of fire nation soldiers. His wrists were tied behind his back as he stood there, taking it all. He bent over, doing his best to keep standing hit by hit. His golden eyes glanced at me, full of sorrow. There was a meaning behind those eyes, almost like they were telling me to run away._

_His brown hair was being pulled on, forcing him to look away. They were cursing and laughing at him, taunting him and calling him a traitor of the Fire Nation. It was then the leader took out a long dagger,__quickly cutting off his hands and feet. Father fell forward onto the ground, the dirt around him made a small cloud. He gritted his teeth to refrain from the scream that stuck in his throat, but his eyes were wet with tears._

_The soldiers forced him into a kneeling position, as the commander took off his head._

I felt arms wrap around me, and Lee came closer, allowing me to bury my face in his chest as the tears streamed down my face. I found it upsetting that I couldn't remember if there was anyone else besides me- watching my mother die- it was all blurry, like if the dream made me far-sighted. I tried to focus on Lee's soothing words as he attempted to calm me. It was a lot harder than it seemed, but it was comforting to know that there was someone here for me.

When I was finally able to suck it up- yes, I'm harsh to myself- I looked at Lee, but he spoke before I could say anything, "I'm sorry…for asking about it…I…" He really didn't know how to react. If I was in a better mood, I would have laughed.

"It's alright," I croaked, I have been crying, so why wouldn't I have a dry voice? "Gosh I'm thirsty."

Lee smirked and stood up, "I'll get you a glass of water." He left the room, quietly sliding the door closed behind him.

I pulled my knees up to my chest and wrapped my arms around them. What made my memories come back in a dream? Yet it felt so real, like as if I was there again, thinking the same thoughts I was during the days the events happened. But it felt like some of those thoughts…some images were censored out. It was reassuring to know what my parents looked like, now I don't have that sense of guilt every time I try to remember them. I know that I love them. I've always known that.

My thoughts were pushed away when Lee entered the room with a glass of water. I eagerly took it from him, took a small sip and asked him, "are we still training tomorrow?"

He shrugged and calmly replied, "if you want to."

I guzzled down my water like there was no tomorrow, "of course I want to. I don't like being bored, and might as well be productive." It was true; I hated being bored and doing nothing, that's when I started to do stupid things to entertain myself. And I promise you, the things I can come up with are quite insane. Fun, but insane.

Well, training went okay I guess. I got new cuts and bruises, and I didn't win a match. Lee beat the crap out of me, but I still didn't go down without a fight. I get determined when I train, there's nothing wrong with it- if you don't mind getting hurt more.

I wore my dark green long sleeved tunic and brown pants that Mushi bought me because my other cloths were worn and people would stare at me like I was some kind of a psycho when I wore them. My dirty blonde hair was down, taking form of its wild, curly self.

The shopping center was rather busy today, people clustered around sales tables and walked from building to building in their little shopping groups. Why did I even come out here alone again? It didn't matter at the moment; my mind was lost in thought. Mushi was right, Akura did come back the next day, and we talked to each other while I was on my break. He wanted to know me more, which I really didn't mind. Except for the fact that no one ever really bothered to get to know me. So it felt weird being asked all these questions. The only thing he didn't know was that I've been training with Lee, and the memory I had last night.

I took a seat at a restaurant to have lunch, and I was tired due to my evil shin splints. I ordered my food and some water, the nice waiter giving me a short bow before leaving. As I waited I thought of what I should do next…and well, nothing came up. Too bad Lee didn't want to come with me, it's boring by myself.

As I stared out into open space, someone took the seat across from me. But little did I notice, as I was staring off into the distance, distracted by the scary thing that people call my mind. "Hey, Olivia…are you there?"

I blinked several times and noticed Akura sitting in front of me, "oh, hi Akura. Sorry…I spaced out."

Akura chuckled, his blue eyes sparkling with happiness, "that's alright, why is the tea shop closed today?"

"Oh, we have the day off today, the boss said that we worked hard enough to deserve one," I answered.

Akura nodded, "you have been working hard. Well, in my standards. Do you mind if I eat lunch with you?"

I couldn't help but smile as I spoke in my usual soft voice, "of course not, Akura."

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**Thank you for reading the chapter! Please leave a review, it makes me happy and more inspired to write. Of course I'll do my best to write and post the next chapter ASAP.**

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	8. Chapter 8

**Ello once again, audience! I actually updated on an okay time in my opinion. You guys are awesome for being super patient with me, and those who have recently started following, thank you for finding me. :D**

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After a long nice day of relaxation, we were back to this dreaded place that people call work. Luckily for us, it wasn't too crowded; I was exhausted from the adventuring around last night. Akura took me all over the city, showing me his favorite spots to view the city. Like that one cliff that overlooked all of Ba Sing Se. The place was beautiful from up high, especially at night, with the stars gazing down on it, kissing the roofs of the buildings with their dim lights. The air was fresh and cleansed the lungs of the city air as the breeze caressed my hair and left whispers on my cheeks, talk of the city people were far below us, carrying about in the nightlife. The memory of his thinking spot brought a small smile to my lips, he described it as viewing the real world from a distance, to see the whole puzzle rather than just a piece of it

Akura knew that I get lost easily, mainly because I headed the opposite direction of the shopping center, the place I came from just before lunch. He laughed at my poor lost self and decided to hang out with me for the rest of the day. We talked, but I never let it slip past my lips about my memory or my training, and maybe it was better that way, maybe not, but there was no point worrying about it. What I did wasn't important.

I got my head out of space after I remembered that I was at work, where I had a job to do, and interact with customers. Oh joy. For the past few weeks, there was a girl around my age, coming here every freaking day. I've seen her glancing at Lee, her eyes scanning his body and a smile lit up her eyes… I wanted to distort that pretty little smile rather violently…with my fist…in her face. One too many times I caught her looking at him like that, and I couldn't help get this pang of jealousy…I wondered why-I mean, I live with him- I see him almost every hour of every day. Do I like him? I shook that thought out of my head until it quickly came back. Observing my feelings made me want to slam my head against a wall, a really hard brick wall. I would like it if my mind learned how to shut up for once; it can be quite stupid in its opinions about life and my heart.

My eyes narrowed at her every time she craned her head his direction; if looks could kill she would've been dead long ago. Instead, I felt the glare that I gave her was directed towards me, for even wondering if I liked him. Although he does comfort me whenever I have the memories…and he brought me an apple…apples are nice and full of pure deliciousness. Lee's also training me, it's hard to forget the shin splints that I got from it as they kill me as I stand there, but I choose to suck it up and stand like my independent self.

Oh, and I just came back to earth again due to a sudden movement out of the corner of my eye. I watched Lee slowly make his way over to Mushi and whisper something to him. I just looked at the two as they chatted quietly with one another, not bothering to listen in to their conversation. Then I watched Lee turn around and she was there, like she just somehow randomly poofed there. She's a bit stalkerish now that I think about it. I had to resist the urge to growl as I mentally envisioned killing her in very violent ways with a spoon. This was not healthy for my mind, why was I so aggressive when it came to this. I let out a long sigh as I prevented from slapping myself.

The girl paid for her tea and asked for his name, he looked rather nervous, which I thought was rather funny, and really cute. Wait…did I really just think that? Heat rose in my cheeks as I rolled my eyes at myself and filled myself with the want of slamming my head against the wall for ever thinking that.

He replied in a rushed tone, "my name's Lee, my uncle and I just moved here." Yippee, I wasn't mentioned. Do I even exist now? God I hate myself, why do I feel like this!

She eased her shoulders and fluttered her eyes in a shy manner, "hi Lee, my name's Jen, thank you and," she looked away, "well- I was wondering if you would like to go out sometime."

I wanted to hate her. Really hard-God, kill me now- I kept doing it. But I saw his reaction and I couldn't resist the smile that appeared on my face, he was just staring, until Mushi jumped in and answered for him, "he'd love to."

"Great, I'll meet you in front of the shop at sundown," she said excitedly, then she suddenly turned and left. Just like that.

I decided to swallow my jealousy and my hatred for it, and I don't even know why I hate it. He's my comfort, my shelter, it's like I want to like him, but at the same time I don't want to. I'm confused with myself…I need a nap. That will help me clear my head maybe.

I watched Mushi fix up Lee's hair, which made me laugh my head off. The way that Mushi wanted it it…well, it didn't want to stay. He used this oily cream stuff on Lee's hair, and it took a good ten minutes to get his hair the way that the elder wanted it. The way that Lee fidgeted and how his face was screwed up in annoyance, I burst out in a fit of hysterical giggles. A glare was sent my way and I grinned at him, "hey, you'd be laughing too if anyone tried to tame my hair." Lee rolled his eyes, sending me into laughter once more.

"There! It's perfect," Mushi declared, "you look so handsome." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively as he looked at me, "doesn't he, Miss Olivia?"

Something made my cheeks warm, maybe it was the room, but I smiled with closed lips to suppress laughter, and softly let out, "that he does, Mushi." I snickered as Lee glared at me…and I took a closer look, was he blushing?

I grinned at him, and just when I was about to say something, he told me, "don't hurt yourself while I'm gone." He paused as I took in the unexpected words, and a smirk appeared on his face, "I know how clumsy you are."

I gasped at the insult, "you jerk!" I strode towards him just as Mushi shoved him out the door, "you will pay for that!" When the door shut behind him, I slumped my shoulders and added to myself, "even though it's true."

Then I remembered I wasn't alone, Mushi had his eyes on me, set with purpose. He had been waiting to have a conversation with me about something, "I saw you earlier, now tell me, is there a war going inside that mind of yours?"

I nodded without thinking, I just gave it away to him, and he laughed, "so tell me, does it have anything to do with my nephew?"

"You have no idea," I replied in monotone as I remembered how I felt earlier. Hopefully none of the customers saw me in those moments, or if they did, I hope I wasn't too easy to read.

"It looked like you wanted to burn Jen's head off and slap yourself at the same time."

I smiled, "that's exactly how I felt, and I'm so freaking confused."

"You like him…but you don't want to, is that correct." No sir, that was dead on perfect. I nodded. "Why don't you?"

I took my seat on a table and put my face in my hands, mentally I was trying to put the pieces of a puzzle together. My mind and my heart didn't want to connect. I looked at Iroh through my fingers, "I honestly don't know. I just never felt like this and…I guess I feel vulnerable." My face went back to my hands, as I looked down, "I don't know."

He sat next to me and rested a hand on my back, "don't deny your feelings, it could consume you if you do. And liking someone doesn't make you vulnerable. If you take it on, it can make you stronger. And Lee is a good boy, quickly growing into a man. He is just as confused with his feelings as you are. Give it time."

My hands dropped and I looked at the man sitting next to me, "you forced him on a date, Mushi."

"Ah, but I know him, he'll probably be so nervous that he's going to say he was from a circus." The truth that Mushi spoke had me laughing, Lee would do exactly that. "and say he was a juggler. But I know deep down, he does care for you. Don't forget the Akura boy, he seems to have taken a liking to you. He comes whenever he can- and didn't he spend most of yesterday with you?"

I nodded, as I felt a blush rise to my cheeks. Does my appearance always betray me so easily? "He did, he found me at lunch."

Mushi chuckled, "ah, so that's why you're do confused. I understand, It's like a love triangle, what a situation to be in," he sighed. Why couldn't just one boy like me and I could like him back? Why could it never be simple when it comes to everything? "See, since Lee is like a son to me, I would say that you two fit together perfectly, but if I think from a standoff point…hm…that's quite hard." Sucks for me, I was hoping that Mushi would help me choose. "I can only give you the advice to be careful and wise in your decision. It may last you a lifetime," he stood up after giving me a pat of reassurance and walked outside.

I sat there for a moment, thoughts whirling around in my mind. This turned out to be a really hard decision, and just made me want to curl up in a corner and hide from the world forever. World, why must you send everything my way? In reality, I think I was leaning towards Lee, or more like I fell for him.

The door cracked open, bringing me back to here and now, Mushi had his head peeking in, "you should come with me, otherwise you'd get lost."

Cracking a smile, I got up, "you know me so well."

"_Mommy, why is Daddy's family different? They're all Fire Nation," I asked as I took a seat on her lap._

_She wrapped her arms around me, shielding me from the world, giving me all the attention that was needed. A child in her mother's arms. "Well, Daddy came from a very strict family; they don't like anyone outside of the Fire Nation. That's how most people are like in each nation."_

"_But your family is different, Mommy. Why?"_

_She rocked back and forth, cradling me in her arms, and nuzzled me, "because they looked with an open mind. They didn't look at what tribe or nation the other was in, but at their hearts."_

_I turned around to meet her eyes, "that's why Papa is from the water tribe?" _

_Mom chuckled, "exactly, your grandfather met your grandmother back when he sailed to the Earth Nation for goods."_

"_Are any of my ancestors airbenders?"_

"_Quite a few, in fact. Why, sweetie?"_

_I grinned as I clapped my hands together and squirmed in her lap excitedly, "so that means I have a bit of everything in me!"_

"_Yes it does," Mommy laughed. There were frantic knocks on the door, and everything seemed to blur out, even the sound as it all went to darkness._

I shot up, my chest heaving for air and senses alert. As soon as I was able to calm down through a breathing exercise, I glanced around my environment, I was in the bedroom. Huh, I guess I fell asleep, way earlier than I wanted to. I scrunched up my nose as I said to myself, "so I wake up in a sweat- even for a good memory- considering the ones I've had." It was true, that was my first memory that didn't have any death or pain in it.

Oh yeah, that's right, Lee went on a date. That sudden reminder sent me glaring at the wall, and then I looked at the door as I heard footsteps come this way. He must be back, thinking of the devil. I watched as the door slid open and he entered the room quietly, probably assuming that I was sleeping since the room was dark.

Once the door was closed, he looked at my bed, and his eyes traveled up until they met mine. His golden orbs still shined in the moonlight, they were rather beautiful to look at. Before he could say anything, I asked, "how was it?"

He sighed and relaxed his shoulders. Were they tense the whole time? "Exhausting, yet refreshing."

I tilted my head in curiosity- it's what I do- and asked, "how was it refreshing?"

He sat down on his bed and twiddled his thumbs, "I've never been on a date before. It was nice to feel how it was like."

"And how was it exhausting?"

Lee hunched over, avoiding eye contact, so I was looking at his hair since I couldn't see his eyes, "dinner was terrible, she asked me where I came from. It's so hard when I have to hide my true identity." A moment of silence passed between us before he looked up at me, "did you fall asleep?"

I guess I have bed head, which I'm not too surprised about, and nodded. What could I say? I stayed up, waiting for you to come home to see whether or not you liked it? Or if you would ever think of me that way? "I had another memory while you were out," I slowly answered.

"is it like the others," his voice full of concern. Was he worried?"

I shook my head, "no, I guess it's a good one."

"Do you mind telling me?"

I shrugged, "well, before I start, I should let you know about my parents…my mom was Earth Nation, and my dad…well, he was Fire Nation," and I went on about telling the memory.

Once I finished the story, I waited for his judgment. My muscles were tense from worry as I stared at him. Lee wasn't even looking at me; instead, his gaze was intent on his feet. He was so deep in thought, it was disturbing, what would he do? After all, he is of Fire Nation, and he has a bit of a temper…would he…? I don't think he would. He's never done that to me before. Not like that, anyways.

After what seemed like hours, his golden eyes pierced my gaze with a look so intense, yet underneath the courage was a certain fear, "I told you that when we were alone, I would tell you why I left the Fire Nation."

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**It would be awesome if you clicked that button below to submit a review, it boosts my self esteem and I feel more inclined to post a chapter sooner. Like I will try to post a chapter within a week if I get ten reviews, for example.**

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	9. Chapter 9

**Ello peoples! Time to finally update. It's been busy with work, college, and I was sick for the past couple of days too :( Being sick sucks. This chapter is rather short, but I'd rather put up something than nothing. And to put up advertisemet: I BETA for dear friend tracylay and her story Black Falcon. A Young Justice fanfic if y'all are interested.**

**Response to the Guest who read my last story: there is a reason why I'm editing this. I will change some things around, and eventually, those changes will be major changes. You'll see what happens. Not to worry :)**

**And to everyone else: ENJOY!**

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I sat on the bed, taking in everything that he had just told me. Fire Lord Ozai's son, the exiled Prince Zuko was sitting right in front of me in a raw state. The only way he could be accepted into his father's presence again was to do a seemingly impossible task, one to capture the Avatar. Everything that his father did to him was harsh and cruel, burning him and putting him into exile like that. Without a second thought, and it seemed to me without a regret. How much it must have hurt Zuko to have his father do that to him. I thought nothing could corrupt the bond of family. I was so wrong to think that. How can someone do that to his son? His only son, of all things. It ached my heart just to think about it.

Zuko even told me about his mother, how kind she was to him. She must have been a pleasant, kindhearted and passionate person; she really did love her son with all her heart. Trying to teach him how to love and care for other people, instead of thinking for himself. He told me what happened to her, he didn't know if she was dead or alive, and that killed him. The prince seemed so upset, his eyes were wet with tears that threatened to come, and before he finished his tale, I wound up next to him for comfort.

"I'm so sorry, Zuko," I murmured. What else was I to say? What could I say to everything that happened to him?

He shook his head softly, looking down at the floor trying to keep those tears at bay, "don't say sorry, especially for what you can't change, and for what you didn't do."

"Ok, I won't." After I gave him a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder, I sat back down on my own bed, right across from him. "But thank you. For telling me."

"I'm surprised that you didn't leave after…I told you."

"Why would I do that?" I was offended, but I wouldn't let that show, not to him, instead I would speak softly but with the firmness of my determination, "after what your father has done to you, you're clearly not like him, ruthless and craving power. Zuko, you're completely different, I can't judge you by where you come from, but instead, your heart." I just wanted him to understand where I was coming from, that I wasn't one of the people who judged just by what nation you're from. I understood Zuko's point of view, he's probably not favored among people- Fire Nation and everyone else.

He was quiet for a while, and that had me nervous. Maybe he was soaking in my response, he clearly didn't expect it, even with how dark it was in our room, I was able to see his golden eyes widen. "You're different from the other people who I have told," he said.

"I just told you, I try to look into the heart of people to judge whether they are good or bad."

"Olivia," he said, clearing his throat, and finally his eyes met mine. Of course he had my attention, but he was clearly thinking, or was he nervous about something? "I want to try something," he was unsure about whatever step he was taking, but he was brave enough to acknowledge it.

"Um…what could that possibly-

His lips were then against mine, and I froze. He kissed me? Someone actually kissed me? Me? Even with the shocked state of my mind, my body reacted, one of my hands went up and fingered his hair, combing through its softness as I kissed back and deepened it. My heart lifted, soaring to the heavens, it felt too soon when he pulled back and put the space between us, but still sitting next to me, on my bed this time.

There was a rather sudden heat in my cheeks. It was safe to assume that I was blushing as I tried to control myself. I was startled, I had no clue that he would do that…and it was my first kiss. Ever.

"With that Jenn girl, it felt wrong, everything did. It felt like it was all falling apart. But it's different," he paused, trying to piece the right words together, "with you…it feels right." He looked at me, and a small smile spread across his face, "and you're blushing. You're cute when you blush."

Is something wrong? Zuko's a bit out of character. Even as I thought that, I just blushed harder. I didn't know how to respond, not at all. I wasn't used to these sorts of things. All this mushiness that was directed towards me.

He lightly chuckled and stood up, "we have to work tomorrow." He pecked my forehead, "goodnight, Olivia." And he got into his bed, pulling his covers up over him.

I went back under my blankets and thought, Zuko…he confessed that he like me…I think. I was relieved that he does. I was thrilled that he does, it made me want to shout for joy. But again…I'm worried. I like Akura, too. He's been so kind to me. Akura shows me around, and I feel safe around him, like he can protect me from anything and everything. I can talk to him easily and be free around him as if the world is a better place.

And Zuko, he's misunderstood by a lot of people, and I feel he needs someone his age to talk to. He makes me aware that I don't have to go through everything alone. And he also makes me feel safe. He was my comfort and shelter. My protector. Our bickering matches were always fun, too. It was a challenge to get him to smile, but I rather liked the challenge, and the award was nice.

I didn't know what to do. This was going to drive me mad if I couldn't find an answer before it's too late.

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	10. Chapter 10

**First of all, I would like to thank every one of you for your patience, waiting for this chapter. And for those who just found this: welcome! I hope you like this story as much as I enjoy writing it. I'm so sorry for your long wait! And secondly I GOT MYSELF A BETA. And she's pretty cool, Juli Beawr, I thank you since I can't edit my own stuff to save my life. ** **And Akura is Akuraice's character that he created (dude, message me, I need to talk to you about stuff changing). And I shall advertise for my beloved sister: Tracylay, she writes a Young Justice fanfic, it's a Dick Grayson/OC, and it is WONDERFUL. Not that I BETA for her or anything. **

**Quick advice: do not get in a car wreck if you were planning to use the day writing a paper and working on a project, then your day is ruined. It sucks and stresses you out even more than you already are.**

**I hope y'all like the chapter!**

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The past few days were rather lighthearted. My soul felt like the sun had appeared for the first time, blinding me in its beautiful greatness. Of course Zuko still got in his moods, but he was more open with everything around me. He trusted me, he trusted me enough to tell me who and what he was, and never second guessed me.

Work was pretty busy that day. It seemed like everyone heard the word about Iroh's tea and came swarming in when they could. It really got a bit tiresome: walking back and forth, trying not to slip and ruin a tea set. I had actually gotten better with the whole balance thing , and hadn't dropped anything since the time I bumped into Akura. I wouldn't be surprised if it was due to Zuko's training. The training was intense. Sure, I got bruises and scratches from it, but I loved it. Zuko primarily taught me using sparring instead of the simple step-by-step movements most would see in scripts. He was determined to have me know how to defend myself in real life situations. For a while he wouldn't teach me anything traditional, so I had to persuade him to teach me the origin of the forms. The fact that I could use the forms to help me relax and clear my mind at the end of a stressful day was simply a plus.

"Mushi, we have an order of the scarlet cloud and I haven't learned how to make it yet," I said to him. I made my way to the kitchen area where all the tea leaves, herbs, spices, and dried fruits were stocked.

The elderly man gave me a sincere smile and came over to teach me, "I'm so glad you have an interest in learning your teas, Miss Olivia."

I smiled at him, " That's because I love tea. Now, what does scarlet cloud have?"

He grabbed the needed ingredients as he told me, "The base is the White Mao Feng tea. Then you add some blackberry, peach, raspberry, and a hint of mint."

I nodded as I put said ingredients together and brewed it in the hot water. "It sounds good."

"It is if you like the fruity teas. It has good quality and is also soothing. Now don't forget to give them a cup of rock sugar on the side." He looked back up at me with his sparkling eyes, "You have a craving for learning things. It is rather admirable."

I looked down bashfully at the tray I was setting up, "Thank you, Mushi."

I lifted the tray and took it to the table I was serving. Two officers just getting off their shifts, they smiled kindly at me when I set the tray in front of them. "Here you are, sirs: scarlet cloud white tea."

One nodded, "Thank you, Olivia."

I gave them a bow, "It is my pleasure, I'll check on you in a bit, okay?" Their smiles grew wider and they went to their tea. I turned and saw Akura coming in. He gave me a flicker of a smile before sitting down at his usual table.

My attention was caught by another table asking for more I had refilled their teapot, I placed it on their table, and Zuko bumped hips with me, causing me to giggle.

"You'll pay for that," I murmured to him, smiling widely.

He chuckled, "Sure I will." He was cleaning up a recently vacated table. He gave me a side glance, his golden eyes shone with a challenge. "You wouldn't hurt me."

"I would," I said after a moment of thought. "I would just panic and worry until I knew you were alright." I looked over at Akura, "My usual customer is here. I better tend to him."

Zuko looked over at said customer, his smile faltered and the light in his eyes grew dark and narrowed, "Be careful. I have a bad feeling about him."

"Don't worry, he's just a friend," I told him.

"No, no, it's not that…he just-," Zuko shook his head and went back to work, "Never mind. Go ahead."

My concern filled eyes lingered on Zuko, before I blinked, put on my server smile, and turned around, going to Akura's table. He was staring at the blank wall at the other side of the room. His blue eyes seemed so far away, in deep thought. Something was worrying him, hurting him– or was it frustration?

"Hey, Akura," I said, "It's been a few days."

He was pulled out of his trance. His face softened into a calming smile, "hey, Olivia. I've been busy. And it seems that you've been, too. With the tea shop, I mean."

I glanced around the room, taking in all the customers we had. Again. "Yeah, I believe they finally got word of Mushi and his tea. So what would you like?"

"The usual. When do you get off?"

"About twenty minutes," I raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"When you get off…can we talk?"

"Um… sure. I'll be back with your tea." I turned and went to get his tea, Zuko was in the back, taking a scoop of a pre-made mix, I went next to him after I grabbed a tea pot and filled it with hot water, "Akura's acting…strange today."

"What happened?"

"He's being…rather curt. I don't like it," I told him as I mixed some of the herbs and spices together.

"He's _your_ friend. When you get off, talk to him for a while."

"I will. He already asked me to." I put the mix in the brewer. "We'll probably just sit in here and talk."

"Good. I want to make sure you're safe, Olivia."

I looked up at him, and gave him a soft smile, "You're such a sweetheart."

His beautiful golden eyes met mine. "I care about you." He gave me a soft kiss before taking his tray to the table.

After that display I struggled to keep a goofy smile off my face. Once I had the tea brewed, I went back to Akura's table and set the tray down. "Here you go," I told him, "I just have to clean up some tables and sweep up the back area before I can get off."

He nodded. "Alright; I'll see you then."

Wow. His mind was set on whatever he was thinking. I let out a deep sigh before I went to finish up my shift. I tidied up the shop, cleaning up messes from past customers, sweeping the back area and taking out the trash. When I stepped outside, I got a big breath of fresh air. It was nice to smell the outdoors after spending so much time around tea.

A piece of paper brushed against my arm before I caught it and read it. The paper was a missing poster for a flying bison. There was only one flying bison like that I knew.

"Appa." A pain echoed in my heart. Aang had lost Appa. I hoped that for Aang's sake, Appa was found soon. I folded up the piece of paper and stuffed it in my pocket before I went back inside.

With my shift finished, I took off my apron and adjusted my clothes to my comfort. The apron was folded up in my hands as I went up front. Mushi was talking to two men, who seemed to have taken him by complete surprise. "My own teashop? This is a dream come true!"

I tilted my head with the slightest of smiles, Mushi getting his own teashop? I wasn't surprised. He was practically taking over this shop anyways. I leaned against against the counter and tuned in to the conversation.

Our current manager seemed to come out of nowhere, "What's going on here? Are you trying to poach my tea maker?" The manager stepped in front of him defensively. It was apparent he didn't want Mushi to leave, since he made fantastic tea.

"Sorry pal," the man with the funky hair chuckled. "That's business for you; am I right?"

Our manager was frantic, desperately looking at the old man, "Mushi, if you stay, I'll make you Assistant Manager. Wait, Senior Assistant Manager!"

The dealer countered, "I'll provide you with an apartment in the upper ring. The teashop is yours to do whatever you want: complete creative freedom."

"I even get to name the shop?" asked Iroh. He seemed like he was about to burst like a happy child.

"Of course!"

The manager looked at Iroh, a plea of desperation in his eyes, "Uh, Senior Executive Assistant Manager?"

Iroh handed him the teapot and bowed to the dealer, accepting his offer while our now ex-manager sulked and walked into the kitchen. I couldn't help but chuckle at his reaction. I never liked him that much anyways.

Zuko came walking by with a tray, and Iroh saw him, "Did you hear, nephew? This man wants to give us our own tea shop in the upper ring of the city!"

"That's right, young man," said the dealer, "Your life is about to change for the better."

Zuko dropped the tray onto the table. "I'll try to contain my joy," he said sarcastically as he walked out the front door. Well That was abrupt.

Iroh beamed at me, "Did you hear the news, Olivia? The upper ring!"

I smiled at him, "Yeah, it'll be nice moving there. And you get your own shop, We're going to have fun."

The dealer grinned at me, "You have good taste, young lady."

I nodded and went to the table that Akura occupied, I took the seat across from him, pulling him back to reality, "So what keeps your mind at the other world, dear friend?"

"Just thoughts." He finally looked at me, but the dimmed light in his eyes worried me. "You and Lee…you both seem closer."

I smiled, looking at my hands on the table, "Yes. We're together now."

"When did that happen?"

"Just a few days ago. Where were you for the past few days?"

"Out. There was work that needed to be done that I couldn't do here. Why are you so curious?" playfulness danced in his eyes as he leaned forward, above the table.

"I was worried about you, Akura. Even Ba Sing Se isn't safe."

Akura laughed, brushing his hand against mine, "Maybe I was helping to keep Ba Sing Se safe. There are bounties on bad people here, Livi. I turn them in and get money for good deeds."

I furrowed my brow, "Isn't that the job of officers?"

"There simply aren't enough to counter the evil. So they post bounties on people."

"So you're a bounty hunter?"

He shrugged, "Of sorts. I only turn in the bad guys."

I craved to get away from the topic, afraid that I would find a disagreement. I had just noticed the bags under his eyes, and there was a darker aura about him. "Are you okay?"

He nodded, "Don't worry about me, Livi."

I blinked and narrowed my eyes, "Well guess what? I am. I AM worrying."

Akura shook his head, "There is nothing to worry about." He changed the subject abruptly, "I heard that you guys are moving to a new place."

"Yeah." A grin appeared on my face, "Mushi's getting a shop at the Upper Ring, and they're giving us a new apartment there."

He smiled, and this time it reached his eyes. "You'll be closer to where I currently live then." He said, delighted.

"Where do you live?"

"At the visitor's quarters in the Upper Ring."

"And you come all the way over here for tea?"

"No. To see you."

"Akura…you don't have to-"

"But that's it. I do. I have to see you. I have to make sure you're safe." He ran a hand through his hair. "That's what I was doing last night."

"Please, think of yourself, also. I care about you too much for you to get hurt. You have been dear to me." I put my hand on his arm. Touch was a strong form of communication. I wanted to show him that I cared.

His gaze went down to my hand, and he put his own warm hand on mine, "I'll try- for you. Will you at least do me the pleasure of taking you out tomorrow?"

I nodded, "Of course. Just rest well, Akura. I want to see you yourself tomorrow." I stood up the same time as he did. I stepped towards him and he engulfed me in his arms.

It seemed that he was reluctant to let go, but when he did, he murmured, "Anything for you. Now I will pick you up around lunch tomorrow."

"That sounds good. Please, take care of yourself, Akura." I gave him one last hug before I left.

Zuko was waiting outside, leaning against the building with his arms crossed. He pushed himself off the building and fell into step next to me, "Is everything alright?"

I shook my head, "I don't know. Akura's acting strange." Zuko took my hand in his and squeezed it. "Something happened to him. And he won't tell me about it."

"Because he doesn't want you to worry," the firebender replied. "You tend to worry a lot about others."

I shrugged, "I can't help it. I worry about the people I care about. Like when Jet accused you…I was terrified. I don't want to see you hurt." I looked up at him when I said that. We stopped walking and I reached up with my free hand to lightly touch his face. I let out a heavy sigh and reluctantly slid my hand down and we continued walking.

"You…you're a gentle person. I can't see you hurting anyone."

"Maybe because I don't like hurting people."

"Yet you want to learn how to fight."

"To defend myself. And swords are pretty."

Zuko chuckled, "I've never heard that before. Why? Why do you feel you have a need to learn?"

"I won't always have someone with me. And it's not safe out there, for a girl especially," I gestured with my hand. I cleared my throat with a cough and mumbled, "…and I have a pretty big bounty on my head."

His jaw tightened at the mention of that. Did he forget? "I can't imagine you having a bounty on your head. What did you do?"

"That's it. I don't remember what I did. But whatever I did, it offended the Fire Nation."

"Sometimes I forget that you don't know your past. You seem to know yourself and who you are." He was silent for a moment, in deep thought, "I really can't imagine you doing anything. You're too….you."

I smiled softly. "Thank you. But I don't know, maybe I did do something. I can feel something inside me, something that is kept at bay… wrapped in lost memories."

He looked down, trying to conceal his grin. "You have an interesting way of saying things," His thumb rubbed the back of my hand. "It's poetic."

I laughed, "I thought you didn't like poetry, considering the way you react to your Uncle's words."

"Because I don't like his stupid words. That old fool," he scoffed. "The way that you speak…I don't know how to say it. You put images to the things unseen."

"And yet your Uncle doesn't? He has wise words, Lee. Sometimes you have to take his tone out of it, because he's…well he's a goofball. He acts like a dimwit in front of you."

"Why would he do that? He's just an old man who-"

I stepped away from him and slid my hand out of his, doing my best to refrain from slapping him. Instead my eyes narrowed dangerously, "Lee. You will think about what you said. Your Uncle loves you, just think about what he's done for you. I'm going home to clean up, then…we will go on our date."

Zuko was wide-eyed at my sudden change in attitude, but I gave him no time to respond, I simply turned around and continued on my way. With the time I have been here, I was able to memorize the passage to and from the tea shop. The rage with in me burned, it kept my fists clenched at my sides and my pace rushed.

I got to our apartment and opened the door, making a beeline for our bedroom. I slammed the door behind me and got out of my work clothes. There was no need to bathe, tea smelled good, and even with daft hands I made no mess. I sat down on my bed and put my head in my hands.

Zuko could be a sweetheart, but sometimes he was blind to those who cared for him and those who didn't. Now that my head was cleared, I recognized I wasn't necessarily mad at _him_: simply disappointed of the fact that he didn't know who really cared for him and who didn't. Iroh loved him. His father was the one who exiled him to assign him the impossible task of capturing the Avatar.

I finally went to my dresser and put on a long dark green qipao- a long silk fold-over tunic that tied together down to the hips, splitting off on the upper thigh at either side, the short sleeves were nice for once, instead of wearing the dreaded long sleeves. I didn't want to scare the customers with my practice wounds- being bruises and scratches- though some will scar, I don't mind. It would be worse if Akura saw them. I don't know what he would think if he did, that's why I didn't want him to. I put on some pale green leggings and dark brown leather boots, stopping just above my ankle.

I went to the bathroom and looked at myself in the mirror. My hair was still up in its bun from work, I tugged at the knot and it fell loosely to the ends of my shoulder blades, well a bit past them now. It has grown a bit the time that I've been here. I combed my fingers through the thick curls. I split my hair into thirds and put it in a loose side braid before tying it with the ribbon.

This was going to be my first date. My breath stopped short as I heard my heart thump against my chest. The nerves of comprehension were finally upon me. I shook my head, hoping to shake the nerves away along with it, but it only brought more negative thoughts. Something could go wrong; someone could recognize him, someone could recognize me, which could lead into several different fights, and maybe even a death.

The ideas overwhelmed me and I took my spot back on my bed and closed my eyes, my head once again in my hands. There was a knock on the door and I swallowed my worry and plastered a smile on my face. One that could hide everything from everyone. "Come on in," I said, knowing full well who it was.

Why must I be my own worst enemy?

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